‘Liberal elite are staging a coup d’état’
Re: Liberal race loses more big names — Stephanie Taylor and Antoine Trépanier, Jan. 14; and ‘I am an outsider’: Carney rips Poilievre, makes Liberal leadership case on The Daily Show — Stuart Thomson, Jan. 14
The current Liberal leadership event is fait accompli and light years from what Justin Trudeau promised when announcing his resignation. He said, “I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide competitive process.”
The promised leadership campaign was fiction before crossing Trudeau’s lips and the March 9 coronation date has less value than the expiry date on a container of yogurt.
As the list of contenders shrinks by the day and the vigorous engagement we were told to expect disappears, it should be obvious that the Liberal elite are staging a coup d’état as they install Mark Carney as their preferred aristocrat.
The only thing robust about what the silver spoons are providing Canadians, is the speed in which they change the face on the party’s campaign literature. As for the rest of the country, we’re just here to polish the silverware.
Paul Baumberg, Dead Man’s Flats, Alta.
It is clear that certain media already have their campaign scripts for the coronation of Mark Carney as the next leader of the Liberal party. Of course, there will be a few token alternate candidates, but this is obviously the arranged installation of an international banker as the prime minister of our country.
Justin Trudeau drowned our country in debt to these banks, and now their representative is taking over. And the Liberal media will sell every step to the good and innocent Canadian people.
Iain G. Foulds, Spruce Grove, Alta.
This fits perfectly with the Liberal method of governing. The Liberals have proven that they love to hire consultants to do the very work they are already being paid to accomplish.
Mark Carney is nothing more than a contract worker and he is simply repeating the Michael Ignatieff formula for dropping in on Canadian politics. I truly hope that Canadians will recognize Carney as nothing more than the “gun” for hire that he is.
Lori Crank, Oakville, Ont.
Where is King Charles?
Re: Who owns Greenland? Why Trump thinks he can buy the island and how Canada fits in — Stewart Lewis, Jan. 8
When Donald Trump proposed buying Greenland, Denmark’s King Frederik X responded subtly but firmly, signalling Greenland’s importance by altering the royal coat of arms. Now, with Trump musing about annexing Canada, our King Charles III remains silent. While objections from our head of government and premiers are welcome, shouldn’t our head of state make a statement? A soft gesture — like King Charles opening Parliament in March — would affirm his commitment. New Canadians pledge allegiance to the King; shouldn’t that allegiance be mutual?
Matthew Beesley, Toronto
We deserved this
Re: Liberals weakened Canada. Now Trump is taking advantage — Diane Francis, Jan. 13
I couldn’t agree more that Canada being “gobbled up” by the U.S. is now more likely than ever, but I wish Diane Francis, along with many other writers, would stop with the “Canada deserves better” nonsense.
Why do we deserve better? We elected the government in power three times! This government’s leader claimed that Canada would be a “post-nationalist state” years ago, so we knew, or should have known, what that claim entailed.
If our nationalism has been undermined, isn’t that the electorate’s fault — especially when we’ve had at two elections since Justin Trudeau’s overt declaration? How then can we deserve something different than our present predicament?
If Canada gets gobbled up, we’ve no one but ourselves to blame.
Tim Harkema, Calgary
Justin Trudeau’s ‘ignoble exit’
Re: Trudeau makes everyone’s skin crawl — Father Raymond J. de Souza, Jan. 12; Trudeau resigns a failure — Jamie Sarkonak, Jan. 6; Stop building trade fortresses — Terence Corcoran, Jan. 15; and Justin Trudeau says he will not run for re-election in his Montreal riding — Jan. 15
Father Raymond de Souza gives us an insightful analysis of the Trudeau years but does omit one important fact. After we “gave him the front door key and he used it to let himself in,” Justin Trudeau then proceeded to mortgage the house and use much of the money for his own personal interests. He now rides off into the setting sun leaving us to make the monthly payments.
Derek Frew, Vancouver
He may not have taken a walk in the snow, but as Jamie Sarkonak puts it, Justin Trudeau has “finally awoken to the cold feeling of his own people.” Certainly an ignoble exit! Lacking the courage to face the Canadian public in a federal election, Trudeau took the easy way out. Quel dommage!
H.K. Hocquard, King, Ont.
Justin Trudeau’s juvenile statement that “we are ready” to impose counter-tariffs on the U.S. shows that he means to continue inflicting serious damage on our country until he is gone from office. Only someone as out-of- touch as Trudeau would threaten a trade war with Donald Trump, who wrote “The Art of the Deal.”
Trump has been stating that America does not need to import Canada oil, lumber, dairy products or vehicles. If that ever happens, Canada’s economy would be destroyed.
Trudeau talking nonsense is the last thing needed in this growing trade crisis.
Larry Comeau, Ottawa
The Liberals would do well to avoid efforts to lionize Justin Trudeau’s time as prime minister if they want any hope of surviving the coming election. Trudeau’s claim of love for Canada, while deeming the country to be a post-national, genocidal state, speaks to his hubris and his misguided world view that has diminished our once great country.
Trudeau has left the Liberal Party of Canada more a regional, than a national party. Under his leadership, he has turned the Liberal brand into a toxic mess that can only be cleansed by purging sitting Liberal members of Parliament who sat by and let this disaster befall Canadians.
The trail of wrecked political careers that befell Trudeau’s Cabinet ministers, but never him as leader, is proof enough that Trudeau was only ever about himself. Canada is better off without him.
Paul Clarry, Aurora, Ont.
Best. News. Ever. Justin Trudeau says he will not run again in his Montreal riding in the next general election. He’s been hounded out of office, forcing him to resign, slowly as it may be. But he doesn’t want to be second banana to anyone in a Liberal opposition party sitting in Parliament. It’s all or nothing with him.
The only news that would have been more welcomed, would have been hearing on election night that he had lost his seat in Papineau. We can still look forward to hearing that about Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Tony Borbely, Calgary
Kudos to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
Re: Smith predicts ‘national unity crisis’ if Liberals block West’s energy exports to fight Trump — Tyler Dawson, Jan. 13; and Liberal response to Trump tariffs could break the country apart — Tasha Kheiriddin, Jan. 14
I want to thank Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for reaching out to president-elect Donald Trump and various U.S. officials in a responsible and intelligent manner on the issue of the pending tariffs. Regrettably, I can’t say the same about our inept Foreign Affairs Minister, Mélanie Joly, who is only making things worse with her thoughtless comments about retaliatory tariff measures.
During her too-many appearances on CTV and CBC, Ms. Joly has referred to “everything being on the table,” specifically including the export of oil and gas to the U.S., which we know will mainly affect Alberta and Saskatchewan. Not surprisingly, Joly never refers to banning the sale of hydro-electric energy going from Québec to the eastern U.S.
Hopefully, for all of Canada, an election will happen within the next few months so that we can rid ourselves of these incompetent and divisive Liberal politicians and preserve what is left of national unity in Canada.
Ed Lacelle, Gatineau, Que.
With all this talk on countering the possibility of tariffs by Donald Trump by withholding oil exports, the oil companies in Alberta have been largely silent, letting Premier Danielle Smith do the talking.
However it has largely gone unnoticed that these companies hold multi-year licences to export oil, and cancelling or suspending their licences in a trade dispute would not go unchallenged. Companies would rightfully appeal any attempt to suspend their exports, and that appeal might well hold up suspension of those exports.
If the federal government was successful, then those oil companies would attempt to get lost revenue back by legal means. The outcome no matter what happens is that we are going to pay, and pay dearly.
Jeff Spooner, Kinburn, Ont.
Trump’s right about Canada’s inadequate military
Re: Crises caused by Trudeau and Trump are finally shaking our complacency — John Ivison, Jan. 9
President-elect Donald Trump is right about this: Canada has been freeloading militarily off the U.S. for decades.
It started with our prime minister’s father, Pierre Trudeau, and carried through successive governments. They all treated their (insufficient) defence spending as nothing more than photo ops, a way to send patronage plums in the form of shipbuilding or aircraft repair contracts to politically supportive regions.
Now we cannot defend our vast and valuable Arctic even from Chinese balloons, nor our southern border from pretend refugees armed only with suitcases.
Our armed forces are woefully under-equipped, understaffed and demoralized by political leaders who denigrate our nation’s proud history and prioritize Diversity, Equity and Inclusion over the principal duty of a nation state, which is to protect its people.
Steve Weatherbe, Victoria
Saluting Rick Hillier and Pte. Jess Larochelle
Re: Justin Trudeau abandons Canada in its hour of need, Jan. 15
I thank the National Post for printing retired Gen. Rick Hillier’s opinion piece on leadership. I was very disappointed, but not surprised, to read that the Liberal government refused to award the Victoria Cross to Pte. Jess Larochelle. The Liberals tell us that they are fighting for Canada. They enjoy a decent salary, several perks, a great pension, and a somewhat comfortable seat in the House of Commons where all they have to do is to sit and listen on most days. Jess Larochelle put his life on the line doing what Canada asked him to do. What harm would have been done by awarding him the Victoria Cross?
Hillier is correct in pointing out Justin Trudeau’s lack of leadership. He hid during the trucker’s convoy. He puts his own pleasures and vacations ahead of representing Canada. He quits when the tough job of negotiating with the U.S. comes to a head. He cannot leave the Canadian political scene fast enough.
Rick Hird, Whitby, Ont.
Retired Gen. Rick Hillier has already served Canada well, is well respected nationally and internationally, was our country’s chief of defence staff for more than three years and once was the assistant deputy commanding general of a U.S. military base. Who better to assist Canada through the next Trump administration and also to bring Canada back onto the international stage, regardless of his political colour?
David Holt, Hanwell, N.B.
ROM’s Auschwitz exhibition ‘sorely needed’
Re: ‘Remnants of a murdered people’: This is the largest-ever exhibition of Auschwitz’s evil’ — Ron Csillag, Jan. 10; and In CUPE, revolutionary Marxist LARPing comes before practical workers’ concerns— David Polansky, Sept. 24
The upcoming Royal Ontario Museum’s Auschwitz exhibition is sorely needed. Antisemitism, now rebranded as anti-zionism, is the oldest and most unique hatred in human history.
The Jewish people cannot solve this problem. We need our gentile friends, neighbours, police forces and political leadership at all levels to take action. Enough of the virtual signalling and bromides.
Luis Ferreiro, a non-Jew, launched the ROM’s exhibit. While few can make contributions of this scale, combined actions, big and small, can make a difference.
I suggest CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and his supporters tour the exhibit. Add to that the Toronto District School Board leadership and trustees, or even better, every Grade 6-12 student under their jurisdiction. A good start would be to have all of them read Ron Csillag’s article.
Marc Friedman, Thornhill, Ont.
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